Great nonprofits don’t just maintain beautiful outdoor spaces—they create meaningful connections with their communities. The Trail Conservancy in Austin, Texas, exemplifies this approach by finding innovative ways to educate, engage, and inspire the millions of people who visit the Ann & Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake each year.
As the nonprofit steward of this iconic 10-mile, 300-acre trail in the heart of downtown Austin, The Trail Conservancy is responsible for its maintenance, operations, and programming. But their work goes beyond basic upkeep—they’re transforming how outdoor organizations communicate with visitors through strategic use of Bitly QR Code technology.
We caught up with The Trail Conservancy to learn how this conservation nonprofit uses our QR Codes to enhance communication with trail visitors and support their mission of protecting one of Austin’s most beloved outdoor spaces.
How The Trail Conservancy protects Austin’s treasured outdoor space
In a city of over one million, renowned for its active outdoor lifestyle, The Trail Conservancy’s popular and heavily used trail welcomes more than five million visits annually. The trail and lake are considered by many to be Austin’s most beloved and restorative natural amenities—sources of beauty, pride, history, and health. They are treasures that define Austin’s quality of life for residents and visitors alike. Their responsibilities include ecological and conservation efforts, along with the construction and upkeep of park amenities.
The Trail Conservancy is the primary steward of the hike-and-bike trail and surrounding areas (taking over from the city’s parks department in 2022). Since 2003, they have invested over $25 million in various improvements, programs, and community engagement opportunities, including shared spaces, ecological restoration, trail maintenance, and improvements.
“Our mission is to protect, enhance, and connect the Ann & Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake for the benefit of all. While we were established in 2003, the Conservancy furthers the historic efforts that were set forth by the Citizens Committee back in 1971.”
Launching the “Tip the Trail” campaign during unprecedented times
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the Trail Conservancy launched its “Tip the Trail” giving campaign, introducing QR Codes as a key component of its outreach strategy. With over five million trail visits annually, The Trail Conservancy needed an effective way to communicate about their projects and ecological initiatives, educate visitors on park and trail etiquette, promote their giving campaigns, and introduce self-guided programs—such as scavenger hunts—enabling families and communities to enjoy their outdoor spaces safely.
“We first used Bitly QR Codes on our Tip the Trail signage (March 2020) as a way to reach Trail users during the pandemic. Within the first year of launching those signs, we had over 1,200 scans to that code.”
Bitly QR Codes help The Trail Conservancy provide vital, timely information to park visitors, enhancing trail engagement and raising awareness about the nonprofit’s role as the caretaker of the park and trails, as well as its ecological and conservation mission and initiatives.
Expanding QR Code integration across all touchpoints
The Trail Conservancy has integrated Bitly QR Codes into virtually every aspect of its operations. To date, the organization has utilized 118 Bitly QR Codes throughout the Trail, collectively generating over 15,000 scans and unique interactions. All of their signage—whether temporary project updates or permanent educational displays—now connects back to detailed information on their website.
“We now incorporate Bitly QR Codes into just about everything we do! All of our signs—temporary and permanent—connect back to detailed information on our website. We have utilized 118 QR Codes since 2020, both static and dynamic on the Trail. This is the best way we have to communicate to our community—it’s often their first introduction to our organization.”
Bitly QR Codes have become The Trail Conservancy’s most effective communication and marketing tool for sharing information about their comprehensive work. This strategic approach offers several key benefits:
- More concise physical signage with expanded digital content
- Instant access to information without memorizing URLs
- Ability to update information in real-time online
- Analytics to understand what content resonates with visitors
The result is a more connected and informed community of trail users who can easily access everything from conservation updates to trail maps with a simple scan.
Engaging Austin residents and visitors with interactive experiences
One of The Trail Conservancy’s most successful Bitly QR Code implementations to date has been their “History of the Trail Scavenger Hunt,” launched in December 2023. This interactive program has captured significant community interest, generating almost 5,000 scans on just that one program alone.
The scavenger hunt represents the evolution of QR Code usage from basic information sharing to creating immersive, educational experiences that engage families and communities while teaching them about the trail’s rich history and conservation importance.
“Providing QR Codes eliminates the need for our trail users to remember a website address or link, allowing us to more easily communicate and engage our visitors and reach more of them more effectively.”
Connecting with Trail users everywhere, seamlessly
The Trail Conservancy’s strategic implementation of Bitly QR Codes demonstrates how nonprofit organizations can leverage intuitive technology to dramatically enhance their community outreach, engagement, and communication. By making information accessible and engagement effortless through park signage, they’ve transformed how they communicate with millions of people who visit the location annually.
By incorporating this technology into their marketing and communications strategy, The Trail Conservancy is not only able to promote and educate their visitors but also support their mission to protect and enhance Austin’s Ann & Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail for the benefit of all. With over 15,000 scans—nearly 5,000 scans on their scavenger hunt program alone—Bitly QR Codes have proven to be an invaluable tool for building stronger connections between the trail and its community.
With the power of Bitly QR Codes, nonprofits like The Trail Conservancy can transform how they communicate with donors, volunteers, and their greater community, enhancing support and awareness for their cause. Our mission here at Bitly is to be a catalyst for connections, and the Bitly Connections Platform enables customers to customize and shorten links, create QR Codes, design a custom mobile landing page, and easily track performance—all in one place.
Feeling inspired? Get started with Bitly for free and see how QR Codes can enhance your nonprofit’s outreach.
